Explanations by Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Compilation of the Buddhist Sutras (結集佛教經典)
Date: April. 04, 2013
Earlier, we talked about the phrase. “Such I have heard”(如是我聞). This passage also explains the cause behind the beginning of each sutra. Every sutra includes, “Such I have heard”. This marks teachings bequeathed by the Buddha. During the Buddha’s lifetime, every person saw Him as their teacher. After He entered Parinirvana(滅度), they regarded the precepts as their teacher(以戒為師). The Sangha operates under a system of precepts and rules. Even though the Buddha lived in this world a very long time ago, since we have renounced the secular and entered monastic life, we must still regard the precepts as our teacher. So, as spiritual practitioners, by purifying our hearts, we will naturally cleanse our bodies. When our actions are aligned with our minds, and we follow the principles taught by the Buddha, we are following precepts as our teacher.
What about our bodies? “Abide with the Fourfold Mindfulness”(以四念為住). We all know the Fourfold Mindfulness; I have often mentioned them. “Always contemplate the body as impure, all feelings as suffering, the mind as impermanent, all things as having no self.(觀身不淨, 觀受是苦, 觀心無常, 觀法無我)” This is our Fourfold Mindfulness. So in our daily living, why would we still be attached to anything? This body also impure! Consider how in the summertime, especially now with the Greenhouse Effect(溫室效應) and rising temperatures, air conditioning is used everywhere. This is a vicious cycle. To keep it cold indoor, hot air is vented out, and so the external temperature rises even more. Some people install air conditioning as a luxury. However, in a place of spiritual practice, can we indulge in this way? No, we cannot indulge in this way because the Abode is a place of spiritual practice. It is hot here. Because it is hot outdoors, it is just as hot indoors. So, we must contemplate the fact that this feeling is also suffering. Because it is hot, we sweat. We all experience these kinds of impurities in our bodies, so we contemplate the body as impure and feelings as suffering. In our climate and daily living, we have already experienced these impurities and feelings. If our minds cannot be open, if the Dharma does not enter our hearts, interpersonal conflicts will fill our hearts. Consider this, it is not just about feelings of suffering. When we are entangled in interpersonal conflicts, we are not engaged in spiritual practice.
Where is our place of practice? In our hearts. So if we do not know how to cleanse our hearts, our place of spiritual practice, then as our thoughts go through the states of arising, abiding, changing and ceasing(生住異滅), things like interpersonal conflicts will continue to arise and cease. How tiresome is that? We again give rise to delusions and create karma; this is not how a spiritual practitioner should be. We must know that in all phenomena there is no self(觀法無我). What phenomena? Good and bad phenomena.
If I like hearing what you said, I will think, “That sounds very good, and my heart will lean toward that direction.” If I feel, “What you say makes me very unhappy.” I feel that it goes against my wishes. The world is divided into favorable and adverse; we call favorable conditions “good” and adverse conditions “bad”.
Is it right for our minds to be in this state of arising and ceasing? Since we are spiritual practitioners, we must live our lives by knowing and applying the precepts. The precepts are the Buddha’s teachings, and we must be vigilant at all times. If we abide in the Fourfold Mindfulness, will we still keep all that arising and ceasing and all the afflictions from interpersonal conflicts in our hearts? So, these worldly afflictions are what we must eliminate. We must allow Buddha-Dharma to enter our hearts.
Next, how can we deal with evil bhiksus?
When the Buddha was alive, naturally He could subdue the evil bhiksus. What happened to them after the Buddha attained Parinirvana? Who could control them?
The Buddha said, “Ignore them”(默擯). “If possible, patiently guide them with compassion. If they can accept that guidance, then congratulate them. If they cannot accept guidance, then ignore them. Do not quibble with them.”
This is the Buddha’s compassion. If people have very severe karma, they will be difficult to train. If they have not created good karmic affinities, no matter what anyone says, they will not be able to accept it. Even in the time of the Buddha, there were bad bhiksus who did not uphold the Buddha’s precepts. What can be done abbot bhiksus with these kinds of ill-intentions in the future? When it comes to bhiksus with severe karma, even the Buddha lamented that He could not help them.
When the Buddha was about to enter Parinirvana, His greatest concern was for these evil bhiksus. For the Buddha to say, “Ignore them,” He must have already felt resigned and very sad for them. So He Directly said, “silently renounce them”. When I see these words, I feel that pain!
Next, “Such I have heard, one time the Buddha was at such and such place; and spoke to such individuals, this many people.” (如是我聞, 一時佛在某某地方, 和某某人, 多少人講話). This is a teaching bequeathed by the Buddha(包含在遵佛遺教裡). Not only does this phrase show respect for the Buddha’s teachings, it also eliminates doubt(斷疑). Some time after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, disciples who had already attained Arhatship were spread across the land, practicing on their own. One day, all the heavenly kings(諸天王) went to Venerable Kasyapa(迦葉尊者) and said, The Dharma-citadel is about to decline, “the banner of Buddha-truth is about to topple, so use great compassion to establish Buddha-Dharma.” (法城欲頹, 法幢欲倒, 當以大悲建立佛法). This meant that the Buddha had entered Parinirvana, the perfect rest(佛入滅了, 佛陀己經圓寂了). If the Dharma-citadel(法城) was not put in good order, then it would decline and be destroyed, especially the banner of the Buddha-truth(法幢), which represented the Dharma established by the Buddha when He left home and became a monk. The Sangha(僧團) of the Buddha was very dignified and could formalize the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha had already entered Parinirvana, so this Dharma-citadel was about to be destroyed, the banner of Buddha-truth was about to topple. “Venerable Kasyapa, please exercise great compassion and quickly think of a solution to reestablish the Dharma-citadel and banner of Buddha-truth so the Buddha-Dharma can be revitalized and be passed down forever. Please, Venerable Kasyapa, think of a way to reestablish it.”
佛滅度後
諸天王等 請迦葉言
法城欲頹 法幢欲倒
當以大悲建立佛法
After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, all the heavenly kings made a request of Kasyapa, saying: The Dharma-citadel is about to be destroyed, the banner of Buddha-truth is about to topple, so use great compassion to establish Buddha-Dharma.
When Venerable Kasyapa heard the earnest request of all the heavenly kings, he also thought, “Indeed, all the teachings of the Buddha should be reorganized and compiled; then the Buddha-Dharma can forever abide in this world for the future benefit of all humankind. So he quickly went to the peak of Mt. Sumeru(須彌山) and struck the giant wooden mallet against the drum(擊大楗槌). That sound traveled far and wide. This was the Buddhist way to call people to action. So, when Buddhist practitioners heard this sound, they quickly gathered. All those who gathered had attained the fruit of Arhatship(阿羅漢果); they even possessed great spiritual powers(得大神通的人).
迦葉受請
往須彌頂
擊大楗槌
諸聖弟子
得神通者
皆來集會
When Kasyapa received the request, he went to the peak of Mt. Sumeru. When he struck the giant wooden mallet, all noble disciples, those who have attained spiritual powers, assembled there.
Venerable Kasyapa said to everyone, “The Buddha-Dharma is about to cease, sentient eings are pitiable.” (佛法欲滅, 眾生可憫) There is a need for a compilation. We must immediately aspire to compile all the teachings expounded by the Buddha, one by one, all over again. If we do not use this time wisely and the Buddha-Dharma is once again lost, future sentient beings will be in said conditions. So, we must all aspire to recall the teachings of the Buddha, recall them to share with one another. Then everything we share will be compiled. This way we can allow the Dharma to abide forever. Only after we complete this task can we leave this world in peace.” So it was said: “not until the compilation is completed can we follow the Buddha into Nirvana. (待結集已竟, 隨汝入滅) We are all responsible if it is incomplete, so we must come together quickly.
Thus I ask all you sages to help compile the Buddha’s teachings, and that is why we should all live together. They all heard Venerable Kasyapa’s (迦迦葉尊者) suggestion and found it reasonable, so they gathered and lived in the Pippali Caves(畢缽羅窟). They all settled down in those caves. To finish this compilation, they needed to seize the moment, and could no longer live apart in various places. They all wanted to accomplish this same mission, so their minds settled down.
迦葉告言 佛法欲滅
眾生可愍 待結集竟
隨汝入滅 諸來聖眾
受教而住畢缽羅窟
Kasyapa delivered these words; The Buddha-Dharma is about to cease; sentient beings are pitiable. So, not until the compilation of the Buddha’s teachings is completed can we follow the Buddha into Nirvana. All of the noble assembly agreed and stayed at the Pippali Caves.
At this time, Venerable Kasyapa also entered Samadhi(入定). In the midst of it, he thought that there must be a representative who could accurately gather all the Buddha’s teachings from beginning to end without missing a thing. In his heart, he knew that this person was Ananda. He used his spiritual power to see, and found that Ananda had not yet eliminated his afflictions. So, Venerable Kasyapa then stood up and led Ananda away from the assembly. He said to Ananda, “Among this pure assembly that is ready to compile the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury, all our hearts are pure, undefiled, without afflictions. But you still have afflictions and have not yet untied the knots in your mind. You sill have a trace of affliction and should not be part of this assembly. You must urgently put effort into your practice and see how you can eliminations.”
At that time, with so many people staring at him, and Venerable Kasyapa telling him that he had not yet eliminated his afflictions, Ananda felt very ashamed and embarrassed. Thus, he wept with grief. He said to Venerable Ksayapa, “I could have attained the Four State, the state of Arhatship(四果羅漢) a long time ago, but in order to be the Buddha’s attendant and remain by His side, I have kept a few afflictions that have not yet been eliminated. He was by the Buddha’s side, and saw all those received by Him. As His attendant, he had to mindfully observe them and make great efforts to understand their many spiritual afflictions, as well as the Buddha’s wise teachings. Ananda had to spend all his time handing human relations and worldly affairs for Him. So, as an attendant, he did not have a chance to eliminate these traces of afflictions.
This rationale may seem to make sense. But, everyone, we must remember that when the Buddha entered Parinirvana, He instructed us to regard the precepts as our teacher. Abide in the Fourfold Mindfulness(以戒為師, 以四念處為住). Everyone, in our spiritual community, we must abide in the Fourfold Mindfulness and regard the precepts as our teacher. So, whether dealing with our hearts or our living, we must constantly train our bodies and minds. Therefore everyone, please always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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